


No One to Greet the Season

by Ysabetwordsmith



Series: Frankenstein's Family [3]
Category: Frankenstein & Related Fandoms, Frankenstein (1931), Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Genre: Alternate Universe - Family, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Trans, Baby, Backrubs, Body Dysphoria, Breakfast, Breakfast in Bed, Canon Disabled Character, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Morning, Christmas Tree, Class Differences, Class Issues, Classics, Cooking, Corsetry, Cuddling & Snuggling, Disability, Families of Choice, Family, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Secrets, Feels, Feminist Themes, Fireplaces, Friendship/Love, Gender Dysphoria, Gender Identity, Gender Issues, Genderbending, Gothic, Healing, Hiding Medical Issues, Holidays, Hurt/Comfort, Intimacy, Love, No Sex, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Non-sexual, Other, Physical Disability, Platonic Romance, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Science Family, Science Fiction, Sharing a Bed, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Unconventional Families, Victorian Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-11
Updated: 2014-02-11
Packaged: 2018-01-11 23:12:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1179078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ysabetwordsmith/pseuds/Ysabetwordsmith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Victor and Igor spend Christmas together.  Unfortunately the cold weather makes Igor's back act up.  Victor takes care of him.  There's a little angst and a lot of fluff, although it's not quite the usual kind of Christmas story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No One to Greet the Season

**Author's Note:**

> This poem came from the November 2013 Creative Jam. It was inspired by a prompt from Dreamwidth user Perfectworry. It also fills the "Wild Card: taking care of someone" square on [my 8-13-13 card](http://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/9418068.html) for the Hurt/Comfort Bingo fest. This was the participation perk for Winterfaire 2013, and finished off as the linkback perk for the holiday poetry sale.
> 
> Not all the end notes fit, so I'm moving some here:
> 
> The official name for hunchback is [kyphosis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyphosis), and it has become a part of "[The Igor](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheIgor)" trope.  Read about the [evolution of the character Igor in _Frankenstein_](http://voices.yahoo.com/the-long-evolution-character-igor-frankenstein-1965553.html?cat=40). The social implications of Igor's condition usually take what little focus falls on him, while the physical aspects rarely come up. But back problems tend to have a pervasive impact, so I wanted to be more thorough.
> 
> [Backache](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_pain) can be caused by various things. There are different ways to relieve [chronic](http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/pain/back/how-to-relieve-back-pain5.htm) and [acute](http://www.wikihow.com/Treat-a-Backache) back pain.
> 
> [Muscle spasms and cramps](http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/muscle-spasms-cramps) are characterized by [sudden, localized pain](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK376/). Victor, being an actual doctor, knows what to look for in trying to figure out exactly what's wrong.  There are [ways to prevent cramps](https://www.rushortho.com/answer_md.cfm?quid=46). [Cold weather is notorious](http://www.mythoracicpark.com/articles/11_trigger_points_winter_pain_article.htm) for causing or worsening cramps because it decreases blood flow and tightens muscles, making them more susceptible to stress or injury. [Barometric pressure changes](http://nsthealth.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/why-does-cold-weather-make-back-pain-worse/) can also make joints, nerves, and muscles hurt more.  There are tips for [treating back spasms](http://www.buzzle.com/articles/back-spasm-treatment.html), and most of the advice for [cold weather leg cramps](http://www.ehow.com/how_5074874_deal-cold-weather-leg-cramps.html) also applies.  Here are ways of dealing with [cold weather pain in general](http://www.losethebackpain.com/blog/2011/12/08/pain-and-cold-weather/).  The most common solution?  Take steps to _keep your body warm_.
> 
> [Hiding problems](http://www.nelsonsnaturalworld.com/en-us/uk/a-z-of-ailments/emotional-health/hiding-problems/) is a common tactic to avoid negative responses from other people.  Many people [hide illness or injury](http://www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1561558/one-sixth-over-sixty-fives-serious-illness-injury-from-relatives) even from their families.  Igor is used to concealing his condition as much as possible in hopes of keeping his job, and his emotions haven't all caught up with his current situation yet.  There are steps to [stop thinking that accepting help is a sign of weakness](http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Thinking-that-Accepting-Help-is-a-Sign-of-Weakness).  Know how to [help a friend with a chronic condition](http://www.bandbacktogether.com/how-to-help-a-friend-with-chronic-illness/).

A cry of pain woke Victor  
from a sound sleep.  
The bedroom was dim,  
windows heavily frosted  
even on the inside,  
the hearth no more than  
a faint ruddy glow.

Christmas Day had arrived  
with a raging blizzard   
after the mildness of early winter.

Victor abandoned his warm bed  
to shrug into a housecoat and  
pad over the freezing flagstones  
to Igor's side of the room.  
"What's wrong?" Victor asked.

"Back, my back hurts,"   
Igor said tightly.  
"Let me check," Victor said  
as he peeled back the blankets.

Igor whimpered.  
"Cold makes it worse?"  
Victor guessed.  
"Yessss," Igor hissed  
between clenched teeth.

"All right, I can work around that,"  
Victor said, covering him again.  
It was simple for the doctor  
to slip his hands under the covers  
and feel his way down  
the rounded length of Igor's back.

Victor found a tight knot of muscle  
high up between the shoulderblades  
just to the right of the spine,  
and another farther down  
on the opposite side.

"Want me to see if I can help?"  
Victor offered.  
Igor nodded against the pillow.

Victor cupped a hand over  
each of the hard lumps,  
pressing and shifting gently  
to encourage the cramped muscles  
to release their tension.

Igor cried as quietly as he could,  
but Victor heard him anyway.  
"Ah, I know it hurts," Victor said,  
his voice low and soothing.  
"You'll feel better soon."

It took several agonizing minutes  
for the cramps to fade.  
Victor could feel the knots  
slowly loosening under his touch.  
The rest of Igor's back  
remained tenser than Victor liked.

"You can let go now," Igor said.  
"Are you feeling all right?"  
Victor asked, believing his fingers  
more than Igor's assertion.  
"Close enough," Igor said.

"Your back still feels taut to me,"  
Victor observed.  
"That's probably not going away  
until spring," Igor said.  
Victor prodded him for more details  
and eventually pieced them together.

"Hmm," said Victor, his hands  
still sweeping lightly over Igor's skin.  
"It sounds like you have two different  
but overlapping symptoms here:  
the acute cramps that come on fast  
and let go soon, and then  
the widespread ache that comes on slower  
but lasts for a long time.  
Both get worse in cold weather?"

"Yes," Igor said.  
"Winter is miserable for me."  
"I don't remember that from last year,"  
Victor said quietly.  
"I don't like to show it," Igor said.  
Snow swished against the windowpanes.

Victor thought about last year,  
when they hadn't known each other so well  
nor been sharing a bedroom.  
It would have been easier for Igor to hide  
his pain under those circumstances.

Plus they had lived at a slightly lower altitude  
and in a more comfortable castle -- this one  
was draftier and they hadn't had time to fix it up yet   
because they were both busy with the baby.  
Now it was Christmas, and the cold was a problem.

"All right, I'm going to take care of some things,"  
Victor said. "Then we can talk more about your back."  
"You can't fix my damn back," Igor snapped.  
"I know, I've _tried."_

"I think we can at least figure out   
ways of keeping you more comfortable,"  
Victor said. "I'm going to start  
by stirring up the fire."

Victor moved away from Igor's bed  
to rekindle the banked hearth,  
stacking fresh wood over the coals  
where it quickly took light.

He found the washbasin iced over,  
so he set that beside the hearth to thaw.  
The goat milk for Adam also needed warming,  
and Victor put that on, along with the spare bricks.  
Then he moved the blankets from his own bed   
on top of Igor's little nest.

Igor tried to get up,  
only to yelp in pain.  
Victor pushed him down,   
saying, "Lie still. I don't want you   
getting out of bed this morning."

"I can do my work," Igor insisted.  
"I have to make breakfast  
and take care of the baby."

"I know you can," Victor said.  
"I don't want you to work  
while you're hurting this much.  
Be honest with me, Igor --  
when your back goes out like this,  
it can put you down for hours, right?"

"Sometimes," Igor said grudgingly.  
"Usually I can bull through it."  
"That's not a good idea," Victor said.  
"Oh, and you know _so_ much about it,"  
Igor retorted. "Have you even seen this before?"

"I'm a doctor, so yes, I have,"  
Victor said. "All kinds of people  
have back problems. I've also seen  
a couple of other patients with humps like yours.  
Everyone's a little different, but I know  
what the common complaints are,  
what tends to help, and   
what makes matters worse."

"Doesn't change the fact  
that there's work to be done,"  
Igor said. "I'll just grit my teeth."

"I don't like seeing you in pain,"  
Victor said, smoothing a hand  
over the layered blankets.  
"It's not good for you and   
it's miserable for me to watch.  
You sound like you could use  
a dose of laudanum."

"I hate that stuff," Igor said.  
"It makes me hallucinate."  
"Most people consider that  
part of the appeal," Victor said.  
"Well I don't," Igor grumbled.

"Would it help if I promised  
to stay with you the whole time,  
and tell you what's real  
or what isn't real?" Victor offered.

"All right," Igor said.  
"We can try that."

So Victor hurried off  
to the medicinal cabinet, returning  
with a small cup of laudanum  
and a larger glass of apple cider  
to take away the bitter, resinous  
taste of the drug.

Igor swallowed both  
as quickly as he could, then   
burrowed back under the covers.

By then the frost-silvered window  
was turning faintly pink with dawn,  
and Adam was starting to fuss.  
Victor changed him and washed him  
in the warming water, then  
filled a bottle with goat milk.

"Here, you take him," Victor said  
as he settled Adam beside Igor.  
"I don't think he likes the cold either."

Igor blinked at him drowsily,  
his eyes glazed with pain and drugs.  
Then he curled an arm around their son  
to draw him into the warm nest,  
taking the bottle with his other hand.

"What about ... our breakfast?"  
Igor asked then.  
"I'll manage," Victor said.

He wasn't a skilled cook,  
but he could press sausage into a pan  
and fasten bread in a toasting basket.  
He also put more cider in a kettle  
with a muslin sachet of mulling spices.  
Soon the rich smells filled the room.

"Is there anything you've found   
that helps your back?" Victor asked  
while they waited for breakfast to cook.

"Some stretches," Igor admitted.  
"I do better if my spine is straighter,  
but it keeps wanting to curl up ...   
and the worse the weather gets,  
the worse my back feels.  
Cold, wind, rain, snow, it's all bad."

"Then one thing we need to do  
is dress you better," Victor said.  
"Some good wool sweaters  
would go a long way toward  
keeping you warm and healthy."

Igor sighed. "I'm not rich," he said.  
"I have shirts and a vest,  
but no sweaters."

Obviously he couldn't borrow  
some from Victor, who had plenty,  
because Igor was short and thick  
while Victor was tall and slim  
even before accounting for the hump.

"Then I'll work out something  
with one of the village women,"  
Victor said firmly. "Another idea ...  
well, this one may sound a bit strange ..."

Igor gave a giddy laugh.  
"Can't be stranger than anything else  
we've done," he said.

"True," Victor admitted.  
"Did I ever tell you that I had  
terrible posture as a child?"

"No," Igor said.  
"You don't talk about  
your childhood much."

"Well, I was always bending over books,  
and it made my back ache," Victor said.  
"As I grew older, though, my mother  
made me start wearing a corset.  
I hated cinching the waist,  
but I loved how it flattened out my breasts --   
and then my back stopped hurting too."

"So that's why you still do that,"  
Igor guessed, "and you think   
wearing a corset would help me too?"

"It's worth a try," Victor said,  
"if you're willing. I don't want to push  
so hard it makes you uncomfortable."  
"I suppose ... I'm willing to see,"  
Igor agreed.

Adam finished his bottle.  
Victor set it aside to wash later  
while Igor burped the baby.

As soon as he was tucked  
back into the blankets,  
Adam fell asleep again,  
apparently uninterested in venturing  
out into the chilly room to play.  
It was warming up but   
still not particularly comfortable.  
Igor and Victor watched Adam fondly.

Victor got up to fetch their breakfast,  
tucking the sausage patties  
between thick slices of toast.  
It was something they could eat  
without needing a table.  
He also wrapped hot bricks in cloth  
and tucked them around Igor.

"Here you go," Victor said  
as he handed Igor a plate.  
"Thank you," Igor said,  
plainly still unhappy  
at the role reversal  
of master and servant.

They'd need to talk about that too,  
but it was a delicate conversation  
that Victor didn't want to open  
with Igor in such a state.

"The next thing we need  
is more firewood," Victor said,  
"and we really must start  
working on this castle  
so it will hold heat better."

It was a good castle,  
but it had stood empty for a while  
before Victor bought it, and there  
were chinks in the roof and windows.  
They hadn't had time to address that before,  
and now it was more urgent.  
Victor laid out his plans for that.

"Nice if you can afford it,"  
Igor said as he finished his breakfast.  
"We'll manage," Victor said.  
"I've been meaning to start up   
my practice again anyway."

Victor took Igor's plate  
and set it with his own  
on the end table.  
Then he grasped the blankets  
and asked, "Do you mind  
if I crawl in here with you?  
I think you'll feel better  
with the extra body heat."

"Go ahead," Igor said.  
"I'm starting to see things anyway."  
"What are you seeing?"  
Victor asked him,  
crawling into the bed.  
It was a snug fit, but quite cozy.

"The light is melting," Igor said.  
Victor looked around at the room  
lit by flickering firelight.  
"I think that's about half true   
and half false," Victor said.

"It's making puddles of gold   
on the floor," Igor added,  
clinging to the arm that   
Victor draped over his body.  
"I'm starting to worry it will melt through."

Victor glanced down at the shadowy floor.  
"No, that part is definitely hallucination.  
It's not real; it's just the drug," he said.

"I _really_ hate laudanum," Igor said.  
"Shh, I'll get you through it," Victor promised,  
rubbing gentle circles over Igor's chest.  
"How does your back feel now?"

"Better," Igor admitted.  
"Can't feel much of anything."  
"So that's an improvement," Victor said,  
snuggling against Igor.

After a few moments,   
Igor sighed and shifted backwards,   
fitting their bodies together.  
"Mmm-hmm," he said.

"This is a nice way to spend the day,"  
Victor said, watching the window where  
the frost was beginning to disappear  
although it was still snowing outside.  
"If you're feeling better by evening,  
we'll see about getting up then."

"You have things to do,"  
Igor protested as Victor cuddled him.  
"And I'm doing the most important ones  
right now," Victor said firmly.

On the hearth, the cider steamed,  
giving off the scent of cinnamon and fruit.  
Downstairs in the great hall  
they had a fine evergreen Christbaum  
decked with garlands and silver tinsel  
and candles waiting to be lit,  
under which lay a few presents  
wrapped in colorful cloth.

As far as Victor was concerned,  
all of that could wait  
until Igor could climb out of bed  
without screaming.

"All right, it _is_ nice," Igor admitted.  
"It just doesn't seem right ...  
"to have Christmas with   
no one to greet the season."

Victor buried his face  
in the soft curls over Igor's neck,  
reaching over the shorter man  
to hold their son against them.  
"Everything I want for Christmas  
is right here in my arms."

**Author's Note:**

> [Laudanum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laudanum) was a medicinal product [popular during the 19th century](http://19thcentury.wordpress.com/2008/03/02/laudanum/), although its use actually dates back to the ancient Greeks.  It consisted of about 90% alcohol and 10% opium, usually flavored with cinnamon or saffron, often with other medicinal herbs depending on purpose.  It was primarily used as a painkiller and sleep aid, although many creative people [used it for inspiration](http://theforlornpath.blogspot.com/2013/10/laudanum.html).  The [vivid hallucinations](http://everything2.com/title/Laudanum) encouraged abuse, but as poor Igor pointed out, not everybody liked those side effects.
> 
> [Hearth cooking](http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/the-art-of-open-hearth-cooking.aspx#axzz2nwgU9uIo) is an old skill that benefits from [specialized tools](http://www.historichousefitters.com/subcat.asp?cat=12), such as a [long-handled skillet](http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=20759566&ppp=35&cp=4406646.4413993.4414966.4414978.30893206) and [grilling basket](http://www.romeindustries.com/grillbaskets.htm).
> 
> [Mulled cider](http://www.brit.co/mulled-cider-recipes/) is heated and [spiced](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulling_spices), usually with spices [tied in a bundle](http://www.southernliving.com/food/holidays-occasions/mulling-spices-00417000069559/).
> 
> Various stretches are good for a [hunched back](http://www.businessinsider.com/five-exercises-to-fix-hunchback-posture-from-office-work-2011-10) and other cases of [back pain](http://www.ibuzzle.com/articles/stretches-for-back-pain.html).
> 
> Corsets have been used for [healing purposes such as back support](http://lucycorsetry.com/how-corsets-heal/physical-benefits/) and for [binding breasts](http://everything2.com/user/oakling/writeups/How+to+bind+breasts). A pipe-shape corset, [as mentioned in this essay](http://www.lilith-ezine.com/articles/2005/themoderncorset.html), was designed to create a straight and slim silhouette.
> 
> [Hallucinations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallucination) are a side effect of many drugs, and can happen for other reasons too. While some people enjoy that, others really don't. There are ways to [cope with hallucinations](http://www.everydayhealth.com/schizophrenia/hallucinations-and-delusions.aspx) and to [comfort someone having hallucinations](http://voices.yahoo.com/how-comfort-people-having-hallucinations-5097989.html?cat=5).
> 
> [Snuggling](http://www.excal.on.ca/supplement/how-to-take-your-snuggling-to-the-next-level/) has a variety of [beneficial effects](http://www.ehow.com/info_8764470_five-reasons-cuddle.html).  Read the [Cuddle Sutra](http://www.scribd.com/doc/35078612/The-Cuddle-Sutra) for ideas.
> 
> [The tradition of the Christmas tree](http://www.christmastreehistory.net/christian) or [Christbaum](http://hs.riverdale.k12.or.us/~dthompso/german/christmas/tree.html) dates back for centuries. [Silver tinsel](http://www.pickyourownchristmastree.org/traditions.php) originated in Germany around 1610.
> 
> [Family is important](http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/enhance-your-wellbeing/relationships/why-personal-relationships-are-important), whether conventional or innovative.  There are tips on [how to put family first](http://www.wikihow.com/Put-Family-First).


End file.
